Enkrateia
by Godell
Summary: Envy and Lust didn't come to Edward for comfort, or love, or anything for the sort. They wanted to be the Mephistopheles to his Faust, the siren and erastes to his eromenos. A drabble challenge for ot3 100. Envy/Ed/Lust. Rating changed to M. READ NOTICE.
1. Just For Research

This is a series of drabbles written for ot3_100 on LJ. The rating will definitely change later on.

Also: _Enkrateia_ is a Greek word for "self-mastery", which was a set of rules (or a path to enlightenment) to be followed by an _eromenos _(a young man aged 12-18 or 19) with guidance from his _erastes _(mentor and lover, generally a man). It seems Edward is a special case…not only does he have _two erastes _(who he doesn't currently trust), but one _erastes _is a woman. Or is she a siren…?

Fandom: Fullmetal Alchemist

Claim: Envy/Ed/Lust

Prompt + Number: **#089, "Opportunity" **

Title: Just For Research

Rating: PG

Word Count: 98

Warnings: None.

Summary: Edward _was _an alchemist after all, and that meant discovery.

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Edward Elric: Genius, Hero of the People, Golden Boy. He was an innocent young sinner, an idealist with a cynical bent, a boy born for discovery.

Envy and Lust didn't come to him for comfort, or love, or anything of the sort. Because their needs were purely carnal—Envy wanted to lead the son of that _bastard _into the world of adulthood as fast as possible, and Lust simply wanted to see how a teenaged human would react to otherworldly advances.

Edward felt—deep in his scientist's heart—that research had never been so easy.

Envy and Lust found him amusing.


	2. Bargain

Fandom: Fullmetal Alchemist

Claim: Envy/Ed/Lust

Prompt + Number: **#001, "Kiss"**

Title: Bargain

Rating: PG

Warnings: None.

Summary: Ed had felt his hands growing slack on the pen.

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It had been unexpected.

One moment they had been talking about the Homunculi digestive system, and in the next they were standing coolly beside him as he finished his notes.

Lust had chuckled softly, making the hairs on Ed's back begin to rise. "So very dutiful. You're even making diagrams."

Ed continued to create a clumsy sketch, his ears burning.

After a few minutes of their amused staring, Ed accidentally dropped the pen and swore as it rolled away across the floor. In a flash Envy had picked it up again and handed it back to him, smug as always.

And then he had felt a pair of cool, soft lips brush against first one, then the other cheek.

"Equivalent Exchange," Lust had whispered, "for information."

_A bizarre trade-off, _Ed had thought.


	3. A Simple Gesture

Fandom: Fullmetal Alchemist

Claim: Envy/Ed/Lust

Prompt + Number: **#002, "Hug"**

Title: A Simple Gesture

Rating: PG

Warnings: None

Summary: "So…are you guys together or what?"

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One could say it became a bit of a tradition: Edward's tin can of a brother would leave to go shopping or visit Risenbool, and Envy and Lust would climb through Edward's window and, in return for human touch, would give him carefully-controlled information on the Homunculi.

Sometimes they would give Edward correct information—"Homunculi have hormones, but their genitals are not perfectly intact", "Homunculi cannot breed", "Homunculi don't need to breathe, its more of a habit". Other times they would simply make things up on the spot.

Eventually, Edward had asked a question Envy was truly amused by:

"So…are you guys together or what?"

Envy had had his arms around Lust, eyes half-closed as she talked of some silly detail. Lust's hand had rested on Envy's shoulder, soft as satin. Every so often she would flick his forest-green hair out of her face, but other than that she seemed comfortable.

"Jealous?" Envy had asked with mock surprise, idly pushing his bare foot against Edward's side. "Remember, every kiss you give gets you more information…"

Edward had turned a vibrant red and looked away. "I've already done enough. I don't need anything else today." He closed his book with a look of finality.

Lust had chuckled and unwrapped herself from Envy's grasp and leaned over him to face Edward. "Now really, Fullmetal boy, you shouldn't be so…_childish._"

Envy had burst into laughter at Edward's expression—one part irritated and three parts embarrassed. But then again, with Lust so very close, and her buxom body lightly against his, it wasn't all that surprising.

Soon, Edward had been wrapped in a net of arms, gaining nothing if not bruised lips.


	4. A Woman of Touch

Fandom: Fullmetal Alchemist

Claim: Envy/Ed/Lust

Prompt + Number: **#003, "Touch"**

Title: A Woman of Touch

Rating: PG

Word Count: 222

Warnings: None.

Summary: Lust had always been a woman of touch.

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Lust, as her name implied, had always been a woman of touch.

She especially enjoyed the feeling of hair woven through her fingers—in particular Envy and Edward's.

Envy's hair was surprisingly thick and satiny. It was long enough that occasionally it would become covered in his victim's blood, which Envy didn't seem to mind that much—if anything, he seemed to do it on purpose.

But he would always clean his hair as soon as Lust wrinkled her nose in distaste.

Edward, on the other hand, had hair that could best be defined as "downy". Lust often spent several minutes simply marveling at the consistency. It was always difficult to slip Edward's hair through her fingers. It was too thick—thicker than Envy's. But soft. Oh, so soft.

One day, Envy casually pulled Edward's hair out of its so-very-feminine braid, and the molten gold had pooled down across his shoulders.

Lust brushed aside the curtain of hair to see Edward's endearingly frustrated expression, his amber eyes glinting with irritation.

"Why'd you do that?" he said, as he attempted to rearrange his hair.

Envy chuckled and firmly placed Edward's hands back on the desk where his pen still lay. "Lust isn't done answering your question. Your hair can wait, Pipsqueak."

Lust continued her pseudo-lecture, sifting the golden strands between her fingers all the while.


	5. An Unanswerable Question

And so, to celebrate Episode 8 of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, I give you...a double post!

Fandom: Fullmetal Alchemist

Claim: Envy/Ed/Lust

Prompt + Number: **#004, "Love"**

Title: An Unanswerable Question

Rating: PG

Word Count: 152

Warnings: None.

Summary: "Do Homunculi feel love?"

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"Do Homunculi feel love?" Edward asked one day, sitting at a different desk in a different hotel room.

Envy and Lust looked at him thoughtfully, their identical violet eyes half-lidded. Lust's fingers walked slowly across the pages of Edward's book, tracing the scribbled letters.

"I don't know," Lust replied, her voice even softer than usual. "No one's ever really…_tested _that." She looked at Envy sitting on Edward's other side, chin on hand. "Am I right, Envy?"

Envy chuckled. "You're right. The only record of a Homunculus loving anything or _anyone _vanished without a trace."

Edward nodded and wrote down the answers. "…What did this Homunculus look like?" he asked, trying to keep any hint of slyness out of his voice.

Envy chuckled again, this time much more amused. "Funny thing, I don't remember." He tugged Edward's braid with a hint of malice and stood up, extending his hand to Lust.

"Let's go."


	6. Protective

Fandom: Fullmetal Alchemist

Claim: Envy/Edward/Lust

Prompt + Number: **#005, "Share"**

Title: Protective

Rating: PG

Word Count: 175

Warnings: Mentions of "roughhousing" (i.e. violent gestures)

Summary: At first, Envy wasn't keen on sharing.

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At first, Envy wasn't keen on sharing.

Edward often looked in the mirror to find that his lips were uncomfortably swollen. His flesh arm had Envy's fingerprints all-but-carved into his skin, from when he had touched Lust's shoulder briefly.

He had needed to hold on to _something _when he was struggling with temptation herself.

At first, Ed didn't understand it—more often than not he felt that the "Equivalent Exchange" was not equivalent at all—but a brief discussion from Lust set things on a slightly more balanced knife's edge:

"Your hands are what you use for your alchemy, Fullmetal," she said softly, as Envy glowered at Ed from across the room.

Ed nodded in understanding, and promised that—as long as _they _didn't try to kill him—he wouldn't either. But he _wouldn't _tolerate turning black and blue.

Envy shrugged, grinned wryly, and before Ed could blink was sitting all-too-comfortably next to him on the desk.

"Homunculi aren't allowed to have possessions," he recited, as if from memory, but his eyes were glittering. "You'll have to do."


	7. Promise

Fandom: Fullmetal Alchemist

Claim: Envy/Ed/Lust

Prompt + Number: **#039, "Awkward"**

Title: Promise

Rating: PG

Word Count: 295

Warnings: Hints of Al/Winry

Summary: "Um…look, Al, I can explain—"

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"Um…look, Al, I can explain—" Edward began, but a simple shake of Al's helmet was enough to quiet him.

"Brother…is _this _why you've made me go to headquarters so much?" Al asked, holding up Edward's book—only a few pages filled with notes.

"I just—" Ed sighed.

"Just _what_, Brother?"

"…I wanted to figure out if we could find an advantage against the Homunculi. And when Envy and Lust practically offered themselves up…"

Al remained silent. Edward couldn't remember ever feeling so awkward around his little brother.

"It was Equivalent Exchange, right?"

"Yeah."

"…Brother…" Al groaned, clapping his gauntlet to his helmet with a sharp _clang. _"What if they hurt you? What if they _kill _you?"

"Al, look, you and I both know I can take care of myself. Just give me half a year. Okay? I _promise _you I'll have information on the Philosopher's Stone, _and _the Homunculi. As soon as that year is over, I'll break all ties from 'em."

Al stared at him silently for a moment, filling the room with an awkward feeling. Ed couldn't help but wonder if he had been taking lessons from Winry on how to keep things going in the proper direction. Ed had never been one to back down from a challenge. But…

"…6 months, Brother," Al said softly, placing his gauntlet on Ed's shoulder. "And I'll be checking up on you every Saturday in the meantime, just in case. Winry's been wanting me to visit anyway."

The awkwardness faded away as Ed cracked a joke about Al's relationship with the blonde mechanic, letting the promise cement itself in his mind.


	8. Battle of Wills

The next drabble might toe the line a bit, just to warn you readers. The rating may indeed go up next time.

Fandom: Fullmetal Alchemist

Claim: Envy/Edward/Lust

Prompt + Number: **#006, "Fight"**

Title: Battle of Wills

Rating: PG

Word Count: 128

Warnings: Mild violence, fighting dirty, etc.

Summary: Unsurprisingly, Edward lunged first.

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Lust supposed that one couldn't quite call it a _fight, _but it was certainly a standoff.

Envy and Edward sat silently in their separate chairs, looking each other over the way two players looked at a chessboard. Violet met gold in a silently electrical battle of wills. Fingers slowly clenched into fists. With the ease of curling water running over a waterfall, their muscles began to tense.

Unsurprisingly, Edward lunged first.

Lust watched as the two began to tumble about on the floor, arms flailing, seeking to hit _something, _while their legs banged against each other.

When the "tussle" became a battle of lips on skin (Envy never played fair), Lust was hardly surprised—though she had to admit that being an observer in _this _battle was quite rewarding.


	9. Humiliation

Fandom: Fullmetal Alchemist

Claim: Envy/Edward/Lust

Prompt + Number: **#007, "Hide"**

Title: Humiliation

Rating: PG-13/R

Word Count: 142

Warnings: Mentions of vague sexual situations, humiliation (obviously).

Summary: "Stop _staring _at it!"

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Ed turned as red as a beet and attempted to curl up into a ball to avoid detection. "Stop _staring _at it!"

Envy snickered gleefully. "Aww, did the Pipsqueak have a bad dream?" he taunted, pointing at the object of Ed's shame that even the bed sheets couldn't hide.

"It doesn't seem horrible to me," Lust commented, smiling softly and cupping Ed's cheek. "But then, I suppose that's all a matter of opinion. Right Fullmetal boy?"

"His code name seems even more appropriate now, huh?" Envy's lips stretched into a maliciously delighted grin. "_Metal, _indeed."

"Shut _up,_" Ed growled, struggling out of bed. "You're here, so let's get some more work done. I'll be right back."

Before Ed could blink, Lust's arms were around him, keeping him from moving.

"Have we talked about Homunculi and sensations yet, Fullmetal?"

Envy chuckled.


	10. In The Extreme

Fandom: Fullmetal Alchemist

Claim: Envy/Edward/Lust

Prompt + Number: **#036, "Senses"**

Title: In the Extreme

Rating: R

Word Count: 117

Warnings: Mentions of vague sexual situations, pain

Summary: Envy smiled wickedly and grazed his nails across Ed's thigh.

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"Homunculi experience everything in the extreme, save for pain and old age," Lust explained, trailing her fingers down Ed's bare back and making him shudder. "We feel emotions at twice the intensity that you humans do. It can make us…unpredictable."

Envy gazed up at Edward through his long emerald strands, his eyes glinting with amusement. Ed clenched his teeth together as yet another current of pleasure coursed through his body, tiny sparks of pain following in its wake—he hadn't expected Envy to be gentle.

"Also," Lust whispered, "since we are not allowed possessions, we have only ourselves for entertainment."

Envy smiled wickedly and grazed his nails across Ed's thigh. "Until someone like _you_ comes along, that is."


	11. Solitary

Fandom: Fullmetal Alchemist

Claim: Envy/Edward/Lust

Prompt + Number: **#008, "Left Out"**

Title: Solitary

Rating: PG

Word Count: 113

Warnings: Hinted death

Summary: None of them were solitary creatures.

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Envy was not a creature to be left alone for long.

He enjoyed solitary walks, but tended to enjoy them more if Lust was beside him or bodies were littering his path like wilted rose petals.

Lust was of a similar persuasion: from the day she _truly _opened her eyes, she had reached out for Envy's long, delicate hand.

Edward had been on the verge of despair far too many times to truly enjoy solitude. When Al was gone, and his own past mistakes screamed endlessly in his head, he needed someone else to fill the void.

None of them were solitary creatures, and so they enjoyed whatever they could give each other.


	12. Irony

Fandom: Fullmetal Alchemist

Claim: Envy/Edward/Lust

Prompt + Number: **#010, "Dreams"**

Title: Irony

Rating: G

Word Count: 91

Warnings: None.

Summary: "What do you think he dreams about?" Lust whispered to Envy.

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Lust smiled down at Edward, whose eyes were closed in blissful sleep.

She brushed away a few soft, blond strands from Edward's face in a caring manner, causing him to stir slightly in his sleep.

"What do you think he dreams about?" Lust whispered to Envy, who was sitting next to the boy on the bed, his expression cynical.

"Learning everything. He's a pathetic human, Lust. They take, they take, and give only when it suits them."

Lust chuckled.

"What?" Envy's brow furrowed in confusion.

"Nothing. Just a bit of irony."


	13. Regret

Fandom: Fullmetal Alchemist

Claim: Envy/Edward/Lust

Prompt + Number: **#009, "Moments"**

Title: Regret

Rating: PG

Word Count: 122

Warnings: Mild sexual situations.

Summary: In the end regret was not an option.

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There were moments when Ed regretted his choice to let them into his life on a more personal level.

On some mornings, he would wake up and feel used and pathetic for even letting Lust entwine her hand in his, or letting Envy—the Homunculus who appeared to _loathe _him—trail his lips down his skin, all for a few meager tidbits of information on the world of the Homunculi.

But there were other times when Ed enjoyed the touches and the talks and the debates that sometimes escalated into full-blown arguments (as far as Envy was concerned), because like any alchemist it was his _duty _to hear every opinion to discover The Truth Behind Truths.

Either way, in the end regret was not an option.


	14. Admiration

Fandom: Fullmetal Alchemist

Claim: Envy/Edward/Lust

Prompt + Number: **#011, "Hope"**

Title: Admiration

Rating: R

Word Count: 123

Warnings: Mild sexual situations.

Summary: They called him the hero of the people, their shining beacon of hope in the darkness.

They called him the hero of the people, their shining beacon of hope in the darkness.

_If they only knew, _Lust thought to herself, as Edward trembled at her touch.

Would the humans who treated Edward Elric with such _adoration _truly admire the way their great hero clutched at the sheets, hair unbound and lying across the pillow like a precious metal, his eyes half-lidded with desire as Envy's hands performed their "solemn" duty? Would they admire the way his arms—one chilling, unmarred steel, the other calloused and warm—wrapped around her, as together the three of them shared the pleasure of the flesh?

Lust certainly hoped they would. After all, humans weren't the only creatures who needed saving.


	15. NOTICE!

For those of you who have enjoyed my _Enkrateia _drabbles—

I have, as you probably guessed, lost my inspiration for this particular fic. I've been in the FMA fandom for about three or four years, and for me that is a very long time. So long, in fact, that any inspiration I've had in the past is now…well, it's shot. I wanted to tell you all this now, just in case you were wondering. I have many FMA fics unfinished, sadly, but I figure I might as well give you all fair warning.

Thanks,

Godell


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